


Burn me to cinders (watch me rise)

by CeiloDiLiberta



Category: Naruto
Genre: AU, At least for a bit, BAMF Haruno Sakura, Child Neglect, Clan Politics, Gen, Haruno Sakura-centric, How Do I Tag, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Kid Haruno Sakura, Major Original Character(s), No Uchiha Massacre, Sakura's parents arent good, Strong Haruno Sakura, Undecided Relationship(s), dad kakashi, world building
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-01
Updated: 2021-01-21
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:41:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23421838
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CeiloDiLiberta/pseuds/CeiloDiLiberta
Summary: Sakura bore the name of a Haruno, but she was always so much more than that.She would rise even if those around her wished for her to burn.
Relationships: Dai-nana-han | Team 7 & Haruno Sakura, Haruno Sakura & Hatake Kakashi, Haruno Sakura & Hatake Kakashi & Uchiha Sasuke & Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura & Original Character(s), Haruno Sakura & Uchiha Sasuke & Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke & Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 96
Kudos: 787
Collections: Strong BAMF Sakura





	1. False Spring

**Author's Note:**

> So, if you read my other stories I want to apologize for not updating in forever, I've had no inspiration for it lately, I will get back to it just please be patient!  
> But, if you don't then hello! I hope that you enjoy this story. I absolutely adore Sakura, and have waaaay too many au ideas for her , so be prepared for those to come one day.  
> This story is unbeta'd  
> Enjoy!

Mebuki hadn’t wanted a child, in fact, she never wanted a child not now not ever. If it were her choice, she would have had her freedom, but she knew her duty, knew that she couldn’t run from it no matter how much she fought or screamed, in the end the Haruno family was widespread enough that she would always be found. That’s why, even if she had to give up her life for a family that never did anything for her, and give it to a man that would take her place as heir to the Haruno family, because heaven forbid a  _ woman _ ever be in charge of anything, she would at least take something into her own hands. So she goes out. She ignores the fact that she is to be a wedded woman the next morning, she ignores the fact that everything she technically belongs to the man that her father has given her too, and goes with the first man that comes up to her that night.

(She notices his eyes first, or rather his one eye, cold like steel, a blade bearing into her, it shivers down her spine but still she meets it squarely and follows him when he inclines his head and heads to the door.)

She weds Kizashi the next morning, the ceremony is quick, the Haruno’s need a new Head. She lies with him that night as is her duty (she is sick, she hates him hates him  _ hates him. _ ) She feels cold and numb despite the heat radiating off of the body beside her. 

She has never felt emptier.

Weeks pass quickly in a haze of false smiles, and numb night, when she wakes up feeling sick the Clan is a mixture of excitement and fear. When the medics declare her pregnant, there is a joyus uproar, an heir has been conceived so quickly. She does not share their joy. Not only does she not want the child that is now festering within her, she knows without a doubt that the child is not of Kazashi’s blood. 

She has no backing for this, only unease that clings to her bones. She has a sliver of hope, that possibility the child is his, that she is safe but doubt continues to grow inside of her as the months pass.

She hates the child growing in her like she has never hated anything else, hates its foreign chakra that she can already feel building, hates the sound of the heartbeat that the Medics proclaim is strong (a boy, the Clan mutters, it must be a boy with a heartbeat that strong and true. But Mebuki knows better,  _ this child is going to be nothing but a disappointment.  _ A part of her feels glee knowing that the Eldest won’t be a son, and if she has any say in it at all wont be an Eldest at all.)

The day that she goes into labor causes an uproar at the compound, as the Elders try to gather around, giving well wishes and bribes, trying already to get into the good graces of the future Clan Head.

The entire compound falls silent as a shrill cry pierces through the air, the demon has been born at last and Mebuki can only weep as her body is finally free from its hold once more. 

The Medics take the child away without a word, wrapped tightly in a blanket so that none can peek at the Heir while the babe is covered in filth.

Time moves slowly now that the child is gone, sluggish almost as the entire compound waits with bated breath to hear the news of the youngest Haruno. Mebuki cannot help but hope that the cry was a fluke, that it was the first and last breath the child will ever take. She hopes with all of her broken spirit that the child does not return, that it turns out there was a mistake, the pregnancy went wrong, that she still has at least some freedom from the life that she has been forced into. She prays to whatever Gods she can name to give her just this one bit of freedom.

But as she has come to realize, the Gods do not care. The medics come back in, the sleeping babe swaddled in a soft pink blanket. A girl. A mistake. Mebuki has to force laughter down, at the very least the rest of the Clan can suffer the disappointment of the child with her. 

The first thing she notices is the child’s hair. Not the vibrant candy pink that was common through the Haruno line, nor was it the dusty pink of the man she found herself wed too. Her only solace was that it was not straight silver as well. Instead it was like fresh, unforeseen snow, lightly laid on top of the fresh cherry blossom. A teasing of spring that peaks beneath the death of winter. It is, however, pink and she can work with that. Can play it off as her own blonde hair diluting the pink tones that should have come from their shared blood. 

She can still convince everyone that this child is hers and Kizashi’s. Not some stranger that she gave her body to in a fit of desperation for freedom. She can still be safe,  _ she can, she can, she must _ .

The child's eyes snap open, and the compound takes a collective breath. There is no emerald shining within the orbs, nor is there a forest of evergreens. No seafoam,  _ no green _ . Instead of the vibrancy of spring shining in those eyes, the night sky stares back at her. An all consuming void that taunts her and declares her mistake, her treachery for all to see. 

The Elders have gone white, and fled from the room from one moment to the next, the Medics quickly hand her the child and flee as well. 

Everyone leaves until there is only her and Kizashi, who has not spoken a word the entire time. He walks with grace a man of his stature should not have, a smile carved on his face that does nothing to distract from the malice that shines in his eyes when he looks at her and the child. 

She knows that he cannot throw her out, despite the fact that he is Clan Head now and not her, she is the one with the Haruno blood in her veins, and he cannot leave her without losing his title as well. She made sure of that. 

(She does not care what he does to the child, take it from her and throw it away, kill it. She doesn't care. She doesn't want it.)

He does not raise his hand to her, instead he simply sits on her bed and peers at the child in her arms. Had it been someone else’s child, Mebuki would have called the beast within her arm beautiful, with a soft nose and already plush lips. The demon's eyes sparkle with the light in the room as she takes in her surroundings. Intelligence shines through even now. 

(In another world, Mebuki would love this child like nothing else in the world, would blood and sweat and cry for the child in her arm to have even a semblance of a normal childhood, in another world the child would grow to fall in love with a boy with eyes like onyx and a great sadness that plagued him.)

Kizashi coos at the child in her arms. The softness of his voice at odds with the glint in his eyes. When they flicker back up to meet her own, she braces herself for his questions, his accusations. All she gets is one word.

“When?”

His voice is soft and quiet still, as to not disturb the child that has slowly started to fall back asleep. There is no kindness in it however, it is chipped and holds deep anger underneath. 

(She knows without a doubt that the anger is not because he loves her and she gave her body to another man when she had him. Rather his anger comes from the fact that she has humiliated him in front of the Clan. She gave birth to a child that has Haruno blood, but he gets no honor or praise for the birth of the child.)

She gives her answer without hesitation, “The night before. I was not yours.”

His face darkens at her words, and she knows without a doubt that they were the wrong ones to say.

His hand moves faster than she can track and latches onto the arm that is currently not cradling the child. The pressure from his hand is painful and she is sure that there will be bruises.

“You,” the grip on her arm tightens fruther, and she has to force down a whimper. “You have been  _ mine _ since your father sold you to me like you were a common  _ whore _ .”

“I am the  _ Heir.  _ This is  _ my _ Clan” She cannot stop the words from flowing from her lips. Her anger rises and clashes with his own. She pays no mind to the volume of her voice. 

Neither notice the obsidian eyes that have snapped open and are now watching them intently. 

Kizashi smiles cruelly at her, “You  _ were _ the Heir, now the child in your arms holds that place. And that child is a disgrace.” He finally lets go off her arm, purple bruises are already forming in the shape of his hand. He leans closer to her, a false loving look in his eye as he nears her. Should anyone walk in now, they would look like a picture perfect family. A doting husband comforting his frightened wife after having her first child. 

They would be wrong.

“This was your Clan, your birthright. But now, it is mine.  _ You _ are mine. That child does not share my blood, but even it is  _ mine _ . It shares your blood, and it will share our name. All that this Clan is, all that this Clan will ever be is now mine. And  _ you _ ,” Kizashi sneers, “would do well to remember that.”

Silence reigns between them, his anger and her mix of fear and defiance waging a war against one another. It is only when the door slides open that the air between them changes. Gone is Kizashi’s anger, replaced with a bland smile that makes his eyes crinkle in the corners. Mebuki has to force herself to calm down and hide the whiplash from the suddenness of his changing emotions, her own face smoothing over into blank nothingness that she hopes can be passed simply due to fatigue. 

The Medic walks in, a small smile on their face that brightens when they meet Mebuki’s eyes. The Medic gives them a small bow before walking closer to the bed.

“How are you feeling, dear?”

“I’m, I’m okay. Thank you.”

The Medic’s smile widens at her words before looking down at the babe in her arms and blinking in surprise and cooing.

“Hello, little one, did you have a good nap?”

Both Kizashi and Mebuki’s eyes flicker down to look at the child. The child stares back at them. They had forgotten momentarily that she was there, too lost in their own anger. 

Kizashi recovers quicker than Mebuki, cooing at the child with ease. 

“Why hello there! Did Mommy and Daddy wake you up? We’re sorry baby.”

The child does not laugh even when Kizashi scrunches his face up and makes kissy noises at her, nor does she crack a smile. Kizashi doesn’t let it faze him, instead laughing at the seriousness of the child.

“Looks like our little one is grumpy from being woken up, huh,  _ dear _ .”

“Y-yes, I would be too.” Mebuki struggles to match Kizashi’s smile. 

The Medic chuckles at the family’s antics, “Have you two decided on a name for the newest Haruno?”

Silence reigns for a few moments.

It is Mebuki who breaks it, “Sakura.” 

“Sakura?” The Medic hums for a moment before nodding. “What a beautiful name for a beautiful little girl!”

Kazashi laughs softly, “Welcome to the world little Sakura!”


	2. Desire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I want to be a shinobi.” 
> 
> Aoi-nee blinks once, twice, a third time before settling down on the couch. She motions Sakura to come sit beside her. Sakura sits next to her hesitantly, her hands are clasped in her lap, trying to keep check of her nerves.
> 
> “Can you repeat that for me, little blossom?” Aoi-nee’s voice is soft but not unkind. Uncertain perhaps, but that’s okay. Sakura knows that this is coming out of nowhere. 
> 
> “I want to be a shinobi.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! Sorry for the wait on the chapter, I'll try to upload as much as I can but sometimes it is a little hard.  
> This chapter is about an extra 600 words so hopefully that makes up a little for the small wait.  
> Again this is unbeta'd, so if there are any mistakes just let me know!
> 
> Hope you all enjoy!
> 
> Also I wanted to thank everyone who has read this so far, I can't believe we got to 600+ hits in such a short time. Thank each and everyone on of you for reading this and giving kudos, commenting, or bookmarking this story. It means so much to me for people to enjoy this.

Sakura first notices that something is different with her home when she is four years old. The woman that she calls mother (only in public, she recalls otherwise the woman has demanded that she be called Haruno-sama) does not smile at her unless it is required, at a social event or to keep up pretense, even then there is no love in the smile that is cast to her. It is cold and brittle, thin and false. There is no joy to come from receiving one of those smiles. (She does not smile at Father, Haruno-sama’s face is always carefully blank when he is around. Even if he coos and peppers her with kisses, she does not laugh. There is no love between them.)

The man is different. He insists that she call him Father (it angers Haruno-sama when she does so, her jaw clenches and her hands start to shake minutely. It is enough to confirm that no matter what he insists for Sakura to call him, this man is not her father.)

Despite his insistence on a more familial bond, he smiles just like Haruno-sama. Cold, an edge of anger whenever he smiles at her that makes the hair on her neck stand up. His eyes are calculating when he looks at her. 

Her family is large, many aunts and uncles. Cousins that run around the compound without a care, laughter bubbling as they chase each other. Sakura does not join them.

The children look at her confused, most bow when they see her. She understands this, and has been told that she is the _heir_ of the entire Clan, but the way that the Elder said it, with such disdain makes her wonder what sins are already on her small back. Her aunts and uncles won’t allow their children near her. Steering them away whenever she enters a room, any excuse to get out of her presences.

It is more kindness than she gets from the Elders of the Clan. They scorn her whenever she comes near. Most will not even look her in the eyes, instead they focus on her forehead or her hair. (She can see their lips curl into a scowl when their eyes land on her silvery-pink hair, on occasion one brave soul will flicker their eyes to her own but never for long.) She is forced, despite her young age, to go to the Council meetings. It is all pretense, of course, a false attempt to get the Clan used to her, to cover up whatever it is that makes them despise her so. 

She knows that they are waiting for Haruno-sama to get pregnant again, for a Clan that seems to be so secretive around her they are rather careless. She overheard two of the Elders talking with Father, how he needed to sire an heir soon so that the abomination could be cast aside before it soiled the Haruno name.

She also knows that so far it has not worked. Aside from her, Haruno-sama has been unable to carry another child. 

(Sakura feels no joy in the knowledge that they are stuck with her, she knows that this is not what a family is supposed to be like. But she has long since given up on yearning for her Clan to love her like she wants to love them.)

There is, however, a light within the darkness that is her Clan. 

Aoi, a Medic within the Clan, who smiles at Sakura with such joy that it makes her heart swell. The medic’s hair is a deep pink, the shade near red at the ends, but it blends beautifully. The Haruno blood is strong in her, Sakura can tell that with just a glance. Her eyes are a rich, deep seafoam. They draw you in, invite you to laugh and live. 

She is young, but experienced, and the one that helped bring Sakura into this world. (Sakura cannot help but flush when Aoi tells her that, but Aoi only coos at the color that forms on her precious heirs cheeks.)

(The child has grown so much since the day Aoi helped bring her into this world, but this world, this Clan, has not been kind to the flower that is before her, she knows that without a doubt. She does not understand their anger - not really, so she is not of Kizashi-sama’s blood, yes, but she is a Haruno and to Aoi that should be all that matters.)

She invites Sakura for tea, and compliments her snowy-pink hair. Tells her that it is a single of life that rises beneath the clutches of death. A symbol of strength to rise when other flowers would wilt. 

(When Sakura says that her name should have belonged to someone more deserving of the name, Aoi flickers her on the forehead and when snow comes during the spring of her third year, shows her the beauty of the blossom beneath the pure and lets her know that there is no one in the world that deserved the name Sakura as much as she did. Aoi was sure of that.)

Aoi is everything that Sakura imagines a mother is actually supposed to be like, she is kind and helps explain things to Sakura whenever she gets lost within the Clan’s politics. 

She cannot call her Mother, because that title belongs to Haruno-sama even if she does not really deserve it, but she can still call her Aoi-nee. 

It fills Aoi with pride the first time that Sakura calls her it, the child says it with such fondness, the realest emotion that she has ever seen on her face, and knows without a doubt that she will do anything for this child.

* * *

It is on an evening when the sun has just begun to sink down the horizon that Sakura over hears the news. A medic is inside of her house - not her home, these walls are little more than a cage but it is hers. It is not Aoi-nee, she would know her anywhere even without her sight, knows the feeling of her so deeply that she can tell where she is no matter how far she is. (Right now Aoi-nee is currently in one of the smaller houses in the compound. An elder woman leaves there alone, her husband has long since left this world, gone to dance with Death instead of her, her son is gone as well. Lost to a war that swallowed civilian children whole.) 

Instead of Aoi-nee, it is an elder Medic, one of the many that refuse to look at Sakura, would refuse to heal her too should you ever go to them harmed. She is not of Haruno blood, the brown of her hair is too far removed for the pink or red hues that flow in their blood, even Haruno-sama’s blonde is an oddity within a Clan of cotton candy haired members. 

(Sakura can’t help but wonder if her mother was a product of desperation like she was. A Clan heiress who was destined to give herself to a man that she held no love for but for the greater good of the Clan that took fate into her own hands for just one night and changed everything.)

Her eyes, though, are lovely in Sakura’s opinion. The light shines through the blinds and hits her eyes perfectly, making them shine like jewels that have been expertly placed into a human skull. 

They do nothing to distract her from the words that fall from her twisted lips. 

Haruno-sama and Father are unable to produce another heir. 

His count is too low. Infertile.

Her womb won’t allow another to latch. Infertile. 

Sakura is the only heir to the Haruno name. 

She slips away as soon as the news leaves the medic’s lips, does not need to be there to feel the anger that courses off of Father, or the fear mixed with muted relief that comes in waves from Haruno-sama. 

She knows that they do not want her as heir anymore than she wants to be heir to this Clan that has done nothing but hate her since her birth. The only person she is comfortable enough with calling family or Clan is Aoi-nee. 

(Sakura doesn’t know it, but if she ever asked Aoi would leave this Clan behind for her. She loves this child like Sakura is her own, felt her own heart swell when the babe first opened her eyes.)

She knows that Father and Haruno-sama could adopt a cousin of hers and raise them as the heir, but so long as Sakura lives she would always have claims to it first, even if she doesn’t want it. 

She wants her freedom from this Clan and they want a way to get rid of her without suspicion or problems. 

* * *

The solution comes quicker than Sakura would have thought. She is out, weaving through the trees that call to her, a soft chant of _homehomehome_ that comes with the tides and storm when she spots them. 

They’re in all black, their pants, flank jacket and shirt look like one solid unit, the white of their masks sticking out all the more because of it. 

They move with ease as a single unit, when one jumps the other are in sync never faltering and Sakura _wants._ She knows that Kohona is known for their teamwork, three men squads have wandered into her forest before. But none have called to her quite like the masked figures have. (It’s the masks she thinks, the fact that who is behind the mask doesn’t matter, all that matters is that the mask has been assigned to the squad.) 

They are moving on the branches of trees like they were made for it, the branches don’t bow under their weight nor do the leaves rustle. The trees accept them like they were one being. Their leaps make no noise despite their speed and weight.

She can imagine herself hidden within the trees, the freedom that comes with a porcelain mask is appealing. 

(It is far far into the future that she learns that there is a price to pay for those masks, but by then she knows she would have paid it a thousand times over.)

They’re ninja, ANBU, if Sakura is remembering correctly. The elite of the elite, and she wants to be one. She knows that it will be difficult, and heiress from a civilian Clan becoming a shinobi? It’s a laughable thought but she doesn’t let that deter her. 

She watches the ANBU from beneath the trees until they are far out of her sight, waits until she can feel them cross her strange not-really-there border that helps her keep track of the people in her Clan, before she begins to move. 

She wants to be a ninja. 

It’s the first time she’s _wanted_ anything like this. No that’s not right, she wanted Haruno-sama to love her, wanted her Clan to care about her, wanted to be loved, she wanted so much. But this, this want was different. This was a want she could actually _get_. 

The thought makes her walk faster, feet hitting the ground with a small thump. (Not good enough, the ANBU didn’t make a single sound even in the trees. She’ll have to work on that.)

Her feet lead her unconsciously to Aoi-nee. She is unafraid of what Father and Haruno-sama may think of her career choice, is sure that they will likely rejoice because everyone knows that civilian ninja are often just cannon fodder to make sure the Clan children survive, and it doesn't matter that the Haruno are technically a Clan, they don’t belong to the shinobi ranks, which means they are worthless in the eyes of the ninja world. 

But, Aoi-nee is different. Sakura cares about what Aoi-nee thinks, about how she feels about her. She wants the one person that cares about her to support her decision even if it’s not going to be the easiest life. 

Aoi-nee is in her own home, a small house just on the edge of the Haruno compound. There is a young cherry blossom tree that grows right next to the house and leaves petals and blossoms covering the house and yard. (Aoi-nee tells her that the tree started growing the same day she was born. She tells Sakura that it is her own special tree, she’ll grow to be strong just like it, because she is more than just the flowers that bloom on the branches.)

Sakura knocks three times in quick session, her knuckles hitting the door with a soft _tap tap tap_. Her hand falls back to her sides as she rocks back and forth on the balls of her feet. She can feel Aoi-nee slowly coming to the door, likely tired from healing those in need,

For a moment Sakura contemplates leaving, coming back later when Aoi-nee wouldn’t be as tired. But, she knows that if she leaves now, she won’t want to come back. So she waits, taking deep breaths.

When Aoi-nee opens the door, Sakura blinks in surprise. The Medic looks exhausted, and Sakura can’t help but feel bad about disturbing her when it is clear that she has had a hard day. But then Aoi-nee smiles at her like Sakura is the greatest thing in the world and the tension leaves her body. 

Aoi-nee opens the door for her with just a small tilt of her head.

“Sakura-chan! How are you? What are you doing here?”

Sakura waits until they have reached the living before answering Aoi-nee’s questions. It's rude, she knows this, but she takes the moments from the door to the room to calm her nerves.

“Aoi-nee…”

“Hmm?”

“I want to be a shinobi.” 

Aoi-nee blinks once, twice, a third time before settling down on the couch. She motions Sakura to come sit beside her. Sakura sits next to her hesitantly, her hands are clasped in her lap, trying to keep check of her nerves.

“Can you repeat that for me, little blossom?” Aoi-nee’s voice is soft but not unkind. Uncertain perhaps, but that’s okay. Sakura knows that this is coming out of nowhere. 

“I want to be a shinobi.”

Aoi can’t help the frown that pulls at her lips. She has nothing against shinobi, maybe some distrust but that isn’t uncommon for civilians. What worries her the most is the danger that she knows shinobi have to face. She doesn’t want Sakura to have to face that, but when she looks at the child beside her, the hardness in her eyes and the tension that build in her shoulders, she knows that she’ll say whatever she has to in order to get her to smile again.

“Okay.” Aoi nods.

Sakura’s head snaps up to look at Aoi, her eyes wide. “..okay?”

Aoi smiles down at her and ruffles her hair gently, “Okay.”

“That’s it?”

“Yup.”

Sakura laughs, the tension bleeding out of her, before she leans into Aoi-nee’s side. 

Sakura doesn’t know the first thing about being a ninja, she’s not from a ninja clan and no one in her aside from Aoi-nee is likely to help her out, but that’s okay. Aoi-nee is on her side, and that’s enough for now.

Without thinking they both close their eyes and fall asleep leaning against one another on the couch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all liked this chapter and where the story is going so far.  
> I also hope that you all like Aoi, she will be a little important to Sakura in this story for a while so I hope you guys can get used to seeing her around. Also I know that a lot of you are waiting for Kakashi to meet Sakura, and he will. But it's not going to be a sudden thing. Sakura is going to have other connections and foundations before the meet so I hope you guys can be patient with it!  
> Let me know what you all think!  
> As always comments and kudos are always appreciated.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I don’t want to, but yes.”
> 
> “You don’t want to?”
> 
> “I don’t, I’d rather never have her touch a weapon.”
> 
> “Then why are you?”
> 
> She answers him with a sad smile. “She wants to be a shinobi, and I want to make sure that she’ll be able to come home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Sorry for dying for like 7 months, I've had this chapter started for the longest time but I was just struggling with it for whatever reason. Nonetheless! I hope that you all like this chapter, and that the next chapter doesn't take nearly as long to come out. Ha
> 
> Thank you all for the kudos and comments! I promise that I will reply to them as soon as I can but I've been a little busy with university starting back up.
> 
> As always I hope that you all enjoy!

The sun has already risen by the time Sakura wakes up, a plush blanket falls from her shoulders as she sits up and takes in her surroundings. She cannot feel Aoi-nee anywhere inside of the house, in fact, she cannot feel here anywhere in the compound. She can barely feel her on the very edge of her senses, just for a moment before she gets too far away for Sakura to track. 

(Inwardly Sakura scowls at herself. She made a declaration of wanting to be a shinobi last night, but she couldn’t even wake up when Aoi-nee left? What kind of ninja slept through someone moving around them like that.)

With a sigh, she pushes herself off of the couch. There is a fifty-fifty chance that Father and Haruno-sama either hadn’t noticed the fact that she did not come home last night or are mad at her for not coming home last night. Despite this she does not leave Aoi’s home. Instead she heads into the kitchen, intent on eating before heading back to her cage.

Aoi-nee’s house is not very large, the perfect size for a single person to feel at home with. It is smaller than Sakura’s own cage, but so much warmer than she thought a house could ever be. 

Crossing into the kitchen, Sakura notices a piece of paper taped to the fridge. Aoi’s neat handwriting decorating the page.

_ ‘Breakfast is in the fridge, be safe going home. I’ll stop by later. _

_ -Aoi’ _

A rare smile blooms on Sakura’s face as she opens the fridge. 

Inside the fridge is a plate of onigiri, each a perfect triangle. Sakura takes the plate out of the fridge and places it on the countertop, picking up an onigiri and taking a big bite. (She ideally recalls that neither her or Aoi-nee ate dinner last night, she feels a little guilty at distracting Aoi-nee from eating last night and can only hope that she ate something before she left the house.)

Immediately the flavor of umeboshi filled her mouth. The salty sweetness of the plums was a favorite of hers. Within the minutes the plate was emptied of the onigiri. 

Sakura put the plate into the sink, cleaning it and laying it off to the side to dry before she made her way towards the door. 

It was time to head home. 

The walk home was quiet, her Clan members doing their best to avoid her like always. There was a slight change, however, an elderly woman is watching her as she walks down the street. 

(There is a sense of Aoi-nee within her, it flows and then settles only to begin again.)

Sakura meets her gaze, fully expects her to look away or to flare and scowl at her. The elderly woman does neither of these things. Instead her eyes roam over Sakura’s form, take in her rumpled clothing and the speck of dirt that clings to her shoes. Her eyes flicker from the silvery-pink hue of her hair before finally meeting Sakura’s eyes.

The old woman does not smile at Sakura like Aoi-nee, nor does she cower or scorn her like the rest of the Clan. Instead she sends Sakura a curt nod before going the opposite way. 

Sakura watches her for just a moment, her back disappearing out of view, her grey-pink hair lost in the masses. 

The sun has risen high, however, and the actions of a single elderly lady are not at the forefront of Sakura’s mind. She needs to get home soon before Father and Haruno-sama have noticed her absence. 

Despite knowing this, she does not take the short way home. Instead, she weaves through her Clan, the majority of them doing their best to not come in contact with her, and enters the forest that surrounds the compound. 

She can’t spend much time in the forest, not as much as she would normally like to, but it is still calming to walk through even momentarily. 

Sakura stands in between the trees and breathes in deeply. She can feel the pulse of the tree just like she can the rest of her Clan.

_ One two three  _

_ One two three four _

She breathes in time with the trees, letting them sink deeply into her senses and memorizing everything, every sway of the branches that she could, before she continued walking through the forest.

The forest curves around the Haruno compound not unlike the Nara forest, but no speckled deer prance through Sakura’s path, while Sakura would not mind to see them, would welcome them in the forest as she did all animals, the Nara hold tightly to their special deer. Each is monitored and tagged with Nara chakra so as to not lose them within the wildlife of Kohona. The Hatake used to do the same with their wolves. She does not know what happened, it was before her birth, but she can feel the shifts in the forest as the wolves run through the western forest. They’ve been in the forest longer than she has been alive, but the Haruno forest has not accepted them entirely. Their chakra is still too unsettled, too sharp and angry, to flow with the easy goings of the forest around her.

She does not blame them for their anger, though she does not know the full reason, they have existed in her forest long enough that she can taste the betrayal on her tongue as they run through the underbrush. 

Sakura wonders how she can help with their anger, how to make them feel like this is their home now, and will be for as long as they want it. 

(She knows that the Haruno’s won’t run them out, are unable too, has had the whispers of ‘summons’ and the tongues of her clansmen and while she is unsure exactly what that means, she knows that is it important. They say it in the same way they call her  _ heir _ , unwanted but stuck with.)

Maybe if she asks nicely the Nara will give her some meat? There are deer within the Haruno forest, of course, but they don’t feel like appropriate meals for ‘summons’, whatever they may be.

She’ll have to ask Aio-nee later today. 

* * *

Aoi didn’t know the first thing about being a ninja, she knew how to form her chakra into vibrant green for medical ninjutsu but that’s where her knowledge ends. She was a medic and while she would teach Sakura everything that she could to keep her alive, Aoi knew that Sakura didn’t want to be a medic like her. Sakura wanted to be a  _ Shinobi.  _ So while she knew next to nothing about being a ninja she knew that her precious Sakura was far too weak right now to hold her own against anyone, even other children her age. The other children had been raised by shinobi to be shinobi. 

That was what brought Aoi to the shopping district of Kohona. Her first stop was the bookstore, Sakura’s eating habit would have to change if she were going to get the proper nutrition and calorie intake to supplement her training. Books on chakra theory and ninjutsu were going to be harder to find but she wouldn’t let that stop her. Sakura would need books on weapon care too, maybe books about the other nations? If she becomes a ninja then she’ll have to take missions that will take her out of Kohona.

Aoi was so lost in her thoughts that she didn’t notice the person in front of her until she collided with them. 

Soft laughter fills the air as a tanned hand captures her wrist before she falls to the ground. 

Genma stands in front of her, his eyes twinkling with amusement, trademark senbon hanging from his upturned lips. “In a hurry, sensei?” 

Aoi can feel a smile tug at her lips at his teasing remark. “Aren’t I always?”

A hum is her only answer as Genma takes in Aoi’s appearance. Her vibrant hair is down, falling off her shoulders. Instead of her typical white doctor's coat, she wears a soft green shirt with loose dark grey pants. Casual.

“Not on duty today?”

“Not at the hospital, at least.” Aoi answered off handedly, distracted by the man in front of her. Or rather what he was wearing. The hitai-ate shone proudly on his head despite its unpolished state.

Aoi might know nothing about being a ninja, but Genma does. He  _ must _ .

“Oh? Some other kind of duty?” Genma suddenly gasped, his hand flying to above his heart. “Are you cheating on the hospital, sensei? What would the other medics say?” 

Aoi snorted at the man in front of her. “Please, they’d probably weep tears of joy at one of us finally having a life outside of the hospital.”

“Too true, sensei.”

She begins walking again, confident that Genma will follow. She’s proven right when he appears by her side yet again. 

“Where are you off to then, sensei?” 

To make sure Sakura becomes the greatest shinobi she can be. “Just going to the bookstore and a weapons shop.”

She can feel his eye on her, the bookstore isn’t uncommon for her to go to, but the weapon shop? Aoi had never had a reason to step foot into one before.

“Oh? Now, now, sensei, there’s no need for you to get weapons. You should know that I’ll always protect you.” He sends a wink her way making Aoi snort.

“Sure, sure. But, they’re not for me.” Aoi makes sure to not offer too much. She is not a ninja, but Genma is. She needs to make him intrigued, needs him to want to see who she’s doing this for. 

Aoi watches out of the corner of her eye as Genma’s eyes narrow slightly, his lips twitching downwards before it’s wiped off his face entirely. In an instant his expression has shifted to playful yet again and Aio is reminded why civilian’s have an underlying distrust for shinobi. She doesn’t think that Genma would ever hurt her, but watching him shift so easily, watching him control himself worries her for a moment. She thinks of Sakura and her difficulty with emotion already. Will being a shinobi harm that? Would it help?

She thinks of the genin teams that she sees in the hospital, of the partnerships she’s seen jounin create, thinks of the closeness and bonds that she’s seen. A lot of bad comes with being a shinobi, but there’s so much good that can come from it too.

Genma is watching her, not asking the question that she can clearly see floating in his mind. 

She drops him another bone. 

“They’re for my sister.” For my daughter, for my blossom, for my everything. Sakura is so much more than just a ‘sister’ but that is the only word she can use to describe her without excess worry. 

The surprise that flashes in Genma’s eyes is clear as day and a part of Aoi warms with it. She knows that he could hide it from her with ease, but the fact that he doesn’t, that he trusts her like this, shows her that she is making the right choice. 

“I wasn’t aware you had a sister, Sensei,” Aoi can hear the pout in his voice without having to look at him. 

“She’s young, and you never asked.” She allows a teasing lit to enter her voice at this.

“How young?” 

“...Four.”

“And you’re buying her weapons?” Genma stops walking, his eyes are clouded as he looks at her. She steps as well, turning to face him. 

“I don’t want to, but yes.”

“You don’t want to?”

“I don’t, I’d rather never have her touch a weapon.”

“Then why are you?”

She answers him with a sad smile. “She wants to be a shinobi, and I want to make sure that she’ll be able to come home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope that you liked it and as always kudos and comments are appericated!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I’m going to be a shinobi.” The words are out of her mouth before her brain can catch up to them. They hang there in the air, lingering but she feels lighter already.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who isn't dead!! Sorry for disappearing I become a foster (sibling??? parent???) person so its been an adjustment period for everyone and between them, work and school I haven't had much time to do anything. I'll try not to disappear for so long this time. Anyway! I hope that you all like this chapter.  
> As always this is unbeta'd so if there are any mistakes please let me know!

Sakura takes a deep breath, drawing strength from the trees at her back. The bark is rough under her hand, but it’s grounding in the same way Aoi-nee is. She can feel them push at her, their encouragement and excitement tasting like sweet berries on her tongue. Their strength pushes her forward and she takes the first steps outside of the forest. 

Her cage shines with the overhead light of the sun, it both taunts and bickens her. But she remembers Aoi-nee’s easy acceptance, and that’s enough for her to walk inside the main house. The air is stale within the house, stifling in ways that the forest and Aoi-nee’s home are not. Still Sakura steels herself, the faster she gets this over with, the faster she can begin working towards her freedom.

Sakura pays no mind to the other people within the house. (There are two Elders in a tea room, two aunts and a cousin in the kitchen, the medic with jewel-like eyes is sitting in the tea room with the Elder. Probably telling the Elders that they are stuck with an abomination for an Heir.) She can find Haruno-sama and Father easily, she knows how they feel like the back of her hand. 

Father is muddled on her tongue, mangosteen mixed with cucumber drowned by the taste of water salty like tears. Unable to quench her thirst but still she succumbs to it willingly. He sticks out easily even of subtle flavors. His are strong flavors mixed together until only a trace of what they were is left. Haruno-sama sticks out as well. But where Father is muted to the point of near tastelessness, Haruno-sama is overwhelming on her tongue. A startling mix of blackcurrant and lemon burns her taste buds the closer she gets to them. The acid burns down her throat even as she opens the doors to the main room. There is an undertone in Haruno-sama that Sakura cannot place. It reminds her of the forest outside, but smaller. Weaker. Where the forest was earth, was home and freedom, Haruno-sama’s mini forest felt brittle, and uncared for. 

Neither looks up when she enters the main room, even after the door closes behind her. Sakura doesn’t let deter her, the silence is not uncommon coming from Haruno-sama. There are times when she will go days without speaking to either of her parents, and even when she does speak to them it is mostly Father that she communicates with.

She carefully takes a few steps forward, while she doesn’t care about their opinion on her chosen career, she is still mindful of how they will react. More of Father than Hauno-sama. There are times when his muddled flavor burns her tongue worse than any acid from Haruno-sama, where Haruno-sama’s lemon may sour, there is still the tart sweetness of blackcurrant.

Sakura takes a deep breath, steeling herself for whatever may come. She opens her mouth, but no words will come out. Her throat is suddenly dry and she’s aware of the way yesterday’s clothes cling to her, she can feel the chappedness of her lips. All at once she wishes that Aoi-nee was there standing next to her.

But she’s not.

It’s only Sakura.

“I’m going to be a shinobi.” The words are out of her mouth before her brain can catch up to them. They hang there in the air, lingering but she feels lighter already. No matter what they’ve been said, and nothing can take them back. 

Mebuki’s head snaps up, not at her voice, but at the words that come spilling out of her mouth. Her already fair skin pales at as the words fully register. Even after all these years, she still remembers her one night of freedom. The way the flak jacket fell to the floor, the kunai pouch clinging as it hit the ground, quiet compared to the blood that rushed in her ears. She can imagine the child in front of her taller, sharper, so different and yet so alike the man she felt nothing but bitterness towards. 

Her eyes only leave Sakura when Kizashi moves. It’s slow like the rivers that run through Kohona and give her life, but it’s his eyes that Mebuki has learned to read over everything else. 

They are calculating as he appraises the four year old in front of them. Sakura is dirty and rumpled and Mebuki doesn’t know where she stayed last night, only knows that it wasn’t in her room and that none of the frequent guests of the main house were able to find her. 

(She forgets about Aoi, knows that the woman is bright and kind, she would stay away from tainted roots like Sakura. She forgets that Aoi was the one who helped bring Sakura into this world. Too lost in her own mind, she missed the way Aoi lit up at the sight of the newborn babe, the way Sakura leaned into the Medic’s hands.)

Mebuki is sure that Kizashi is weighting the pros and cons. The beast in front of her is their only heir, and Mebuki will never not feel both relief and pleasure from that, but the beast is still a civilian and they never amount to anything within the corps. At worst Sakura will be a chunin for the rest of her life and the Haruno clan would accept the connections that it gives them to have their heiress on the front lines, at best Sakura will die.

(There is a moment where Mebuki wonders if Kizashi will kill her once the beast is dead and gone, she can bear him no heir after all before she pushes it down. He has no choice but to keep her alive, not if he wants to stay on his precious pedestal of ‘Kizashi-sama’.)  
  
She can see the moment that Kizashi comes to the same conclusion as her. They have nothing to give Sakura and even if they did, they would willingly withhold it from her. Anything to increase the likelihood that she will die. 

She also knows that Kizashi will not make it easy for her. 

Kizashi leans forward towards Sakura, his blue eyes shining and cold. A smile plays on his face but it never reaches his eyes even as the crinkle in the corners. 

He lets the smile play on his lips for a few moments before putting on a mock frown. “Sakura, sweetie, you know Father would give  _ anything _ for you. But you can’t be a shinobi, baby, you’re the  _ Heir. _ ”

Mebuki smartly holds her tongue, mind going to the generations of heirs and heiresses that have gone to the Academy and made their clans better for it. She wonders what Kizashi aims to gain from this. 

She wonders what Sakura is willing to give up.

The child doesn’t even acknowledge her birthright and Mebuki is sure that it drives Kizashi insane.

“I  _ am _ going to be a shinobi.” The words leave Sakura’s mouth for a third time in two days. Each time she says it is just a little stronger, a little more sure, like she has the power to speak it into existence just by being stubborn enough.

She watches her Father’s eyes, the only thing she has ever learned from her mother, watches them flare at her defiance and with glee. Has seen a similar expression on his face minutes before he reduced Mebuki to tears for another night. 

She would link it to a snake, the way he watches and catalogues what he thinks is important before he strikes at her weak points, but she has seen snakes in the underbrush of the forest. Rarely are they malicious, hunting only to survive and straying from her even though their venom could likely end her with a single bite.

Theirs is a way of survival.

Kizashis is a way of cruelty.

Kizashi huffs a soft breath of laughter, blowing at the moustache angled over his lips. “Ne, ne, Sakura, didn’t you hear me?” 

Both of his companions know what he is doing, his tone is soft and sweet. Should any of the other occupants in the house happen to pass by this room it would sound like a soothing man trying to be a good Father to an ungrateful child that wasn’t even his. To Mebuki and Sakura, however, it simply sounded condescending. 

“You can’t be a shinobi  _ and _ the heir.”

Oh.

Sakura can only blink at the giddiness that suddenly fills her. 

_ That? _

He really thought she cared about  _ that? _

Mebuki on the other hand can only stare slack jawed at Kizashi, there is no other heir aside from Sakura, they cannot disown her without being looked down by the rest of the civilian clans. Has he finally lost his mind? She  _ will not _ have another child even if she somehow could. 

Silence stretches for a few moments, Kizashi’s eyes darken at Sakura’s silence, taking it for refusal. Just as he is about to dismiss her, Sakura’s voice rings out strong and true through the room.

“I’m going to be a shinobi.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading this!  
> Your comments and kudos are always appreciated and if you wanna help support me and my writing, why not buy me a coffee, :) 
> 
> https://ko-fi.com/ceilodiliberta
> 
> See you next chapter!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakura’s going to need to work on her cardio. Stamina is a must too. The Haruno aren’t a ninja clan, not that the Clan would help Sakura even if they were, she’s not going to have a name that will open doors for her, no special jutsu or eyes. She’s going to have to work hard. Harder than Aoi had to work to become a medic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's this??? A new chapter so soon?? This is me just writing and procrastinating on my classes already, haa.   
> Anyway, I hope that you all enjoy this chapter and the interactions between Aoi and Genma.  
> As always this is unbeta'd so if there are any mistakes just let me know!

Aoi’s words hang in the air and she doesn’t give him a moment to recover or ask the questions that she is sure are raging in his mind. She turns quickly, it's slow compared to the reflexes of the ninja standing next to her, but her point comes across clear as day. If he wanted answers, he would come with her otherwise he would be left alone with his questions.

She doesn’t get more than three steps from her starting point before Genma is right next to her, he doesn’t step in front of her nor does he try to stop her, instead he just changes the stride of his legs to better match hers. It makes her smile even just momentarily.

She’s still worried about Sakura, wishes she was there to talk to her and make a solid plan about where to go from here but she also needs to know what Sakura needs before they can make any sort of plan that won’t fall through within the first two days. 

Her feet carry her through the packed streets of Kohona, mindlessly she weaves through the rest of the people on the streets. So lost in her mind she doesn’t notice Genma’s hand hovering over the small of her back, leading her away from the second-hand weapon shop her feet were taking her too and instead deeper into the downtown Kohona.

Sakura’s going to need to work on her cardio. Stamina is a must too. The Haruno aren’t a ninja clan, not that the Clan would help Sakura even if they were, she’s not going to have a name that will open doors for her, no special jutsu or eyes. She’s going to have to work hard. Harder than Aoi had to work to become a medic. 

Could she do it?

Sakura, to Aoi, was soft and kind. A little stunted from the treatment of the Clan, but she tries. She was quiet and liked to spend her time with the company of Aoi or the trees.

None of that lended to being a shinobi.

But.

But.

Aoi remembers the fire shining in her blossom eyes. People often take a look at them and see their onyx and think that they’re dull, but to Aoi they have always been the night sky, space and the universe all in one. The fire in Sakura’s eyes that day only confirmed that for Aoi, watching the depths blaze with determination and harden, sharper than any scalpel Aoi has ever welded was enough.

Sakura could do it.

Neither of them would settle for anything less.

Genma stops her right before she runs into the door of the weapons shop. Sheepishly she sends him a smile that he easily returns, amusement shining clear in his brown eyes.

“Back with us, Sensei?” His tone is teasing, coupled with the smirk playing on his face, it’s enough to make her snort and pinch his cheek.

“Aww, was the big bad shinobi lonely while I was in my head?” The words come easily to her even as her stomach ties itself into loose knots. The banter is easy and common, spanning from hospital visits and overflowing into everyday conversation.

“You know it!” The shinobi chirps at her and spins to open the door with a flourish.

Laughing she steps inside only to stop and stare.

This isn’t where she meant to go.

It’s a weapons shop, yes, one of far better quality than she was heading to. Aoi knows that she cannot afford what Sakura needs here. Second-hand weapons weren’t the best but enough care and practice they could be a good starting point until Sakura was old enough to take on missions and use her own funds to buy better weapons. 

It’s not what she wanted, she would have loved to come to a high-quality shop like this and get everything that Sakura could need or what, but she didn’t have enough ryo to do so.

Between her own bills, food, clothes, and then making sure that Sakura was properly feed and clothed - because frankly what Kizashi-sama and Mebuki-sama gave her to wear could really be consider clothes at all, hand me down rags that swamped her or clung to her harshly - she barely had any money to spare at the end of the month. Especially with how much Sakura kept growing. It was worth it though, even if Sakura still struggled on occasion with the concept of shoes, so used to leaving the main house with her feet crammed into too small shoes that she tore off the moment she entered the forest.

Even at age four Sakura had more scars and calluses on her feet than Aoi.

She turns to Genma as such, she must’ve taken a wrong turn somewhere after all, but he’s already walking through the weapons shop like it is a second home. He doesn’t even spare her a glance as he goes to look at the kunai on the wall. 

They’re nicer than ones at the second hand would be, Aoi can easily admit that, and she  _ yearns _ for Sakura to have something this high quality.

It’s the least she deserves.

Without thought she walks until she’s next to Genma’s side. He only looks at her from the corner of his eyes before he goes back to analysing the kunai. She’s not sure what he’s looking for, they all look the same to her really, different sizes maybe, but that was the only difference that Aoi could see. Determined Aoi leans closer until she’s level with Genma, trying to pick out what differences he’s juggling in his mind.

“How old?”

Aoi answers with a hum, only half paying attention. The kunai in front of her is slender at first glance but upon closer inspection she can see small notches on both sides beginning at the handle and flowing down ending just a few spaces before the tip.

“Your sister, how old is she?”

“Hm? Four.” A kunai like that wouldn’t be suitable for a four year old even if she could afford it, while kunai were dangerous already, giving Sakura, who has never so much as held a regular or toy kunai, a specialized kunai just spells trouble. The kunai below doesn't have the notches, but it’s one that Genma had studied for a period so there must be something with it as well.

Genma just makes a noise in the back of his throat before moving further down. 

Genma is not surprised exactly at the age. Clan children start learning ninja arts the moment that they can stand reliably, it stands to reason that Aoi-sensei and her ‘sister’ are worried about the child being behind. Not that he can blame them, if the child is 4 then she’d be able to join the academy in two year. Within that group Genma can think of at least four different clan heirs, and if that wasn’t enough an Uchiha would likely be in her year as well. While that wasn’t uncommon, this particular Uchiha would be the younger brother of one Uchiha Itachi, Kohona’s very own Reaper Crow.

The only way it could get worse would be if Hatake somehow had a child hidden somewhere waiting to join the academy.

Genma shudders to think about that.

Shaking away thoughts of Hatake, Genma picks up a kunai. It’s small in his hand, it’s handle wrapped in the standard white banaged, its weight is nonexistent in his hand but he from the feel of it he supposes that it would be light enough for a four year old to practice with while still helping build up muscle.

He grabs three more of the same weight before reaching to the right and grabbing two more of the same length but slightly heavier, the difference is barely noticeable in his hand but for a four year old he’s sure that would be a good challenge.

What else did pre-academy children need? Explosive tags? Aoi-sensei might actually kill him, same with paralyzing tags. Smoke bombs are too good but don’t help without an opponent or teacher. Chakra paper is good to see what elemental chakra they child could be leaning towards so they could get a head start on it, but without proper clearance or a teacher, they wouldn’t get very far. 

Without a teacher, Aoi and her sister were at a disadvantage. 

He remembers how lost he was even in the Academy, how lost he was until he was placed under the guidance of Choza-sensei. How he nurtured his genin the best that he could until they made chunin, how Minato-sama guided him after.

He wants to be that to someone, even if only momentarily. But he can’t see himself being a proper genin teacher, doesn’t like the thought of not being able to solely focus on one student and push them to be everything he knows that they could be.

He could do an apprenticeship, pass his knowledge of poisons and the way to wield sebon like no other jonin can, but he can’t imagine passing that on to just anyone. He wants there to be a connection, wants to know that what he teaches his student is only the beginning, their starting point not their ending. 

It’s as he is moving towards the small section of weights, Aoi’s sister needs a teacher and he, well he doesn’t need a student, but he wants one. 

He doesn’t let his realization startle him, honestly he’s probably playing into Aoi’s hand, at least partially. Not that he minds, Aoi isn’t the type of person to do anything that she thinks would harm him. The only reason Aoi is even doing any of this is for her ‘sister’.

Genma picks up four separate sets of weights, two for the arms and two for the legs. The first is five pounds, a good starting point for anyone especially young children, in a plain white color. Matching it is a second pair in his right hand, in his opposite hand is two ten pound sets both matching the first in color. Start small and slowly work up to increase stamina, speed, and strength.

Genma doesn’t know anything about Aoi’s ‘sister’. Only that she’s four and there’s no way it's actually her sister. Aoi hesitated far too long when answering that, and something on her face told him that while sister wasn’t  _ wrong _ it wasn’t enough either. 

It’s not a lot of information but he’s been on A and S ranked missions with less intel, and it’s one civilian child. Honestly, how hard could it be? Famous last words, right?

Aoi snaps out of her daze studying the differences in the kunai when Genma returns to her side. Her eyes drift to the price tag hanging off the side of the kunai she was just studying and no matter how badly she wants Sakura to have this fine kunai, she can’t afford them.

She turns, intent on telling Genma as much when she notices the bag by his side. It’s filled with the kunai and weights and she can see paper as well. Instantly she’s filled with such fondness and exasperation towards the man in front of her.

“I can’t pay you back for this.” She wants to say thank you, to cry at the chance that he’s giving her blossom, but he needs to know that she can’t repay him. At least not right now, maybe if she picked up extra shifts during the night or when Sakura was doing training? No, she wanted someone to supervise Sakura just in case. At night then.

Genma sends her a grin that is two parts sincere and three parts mischievous. “It’s a good thing I don’t want money then, huh?”

Fluttering takes over her stomach thinking about their banter and undisguised flirting, it’s no secret that Genma is attractive. He’s funny and sharp as a tack even if he hides it beneath layers upon layers. It would be so easy to fall for him, Aoi knows this, but she can’t. Not now, not when Sakura needed her more than ever.

Her throat is dry but she still forces the words out. “What do you want then?”

His eyes light up and she feels a new surge of fondness fill her so strong that it nearly takes her breath away.

“I want to train your sister.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading!  
> Please let me know what you all think, and if you see any mistakes let me know.  
> Comments and kudos are much appreciated!
> 
> See you next time.


End file.
